Hi - I'm new to your forumT.
December 2006 will mark the 50th anniversary of my family's migration to Berkeley Hostel (Mum,Dad, 3 brothers and me). We arrived at Berkeley Hostel 1956 and left November 1959 for a housing commission house in Berkeley. Dad worked as a Turner at AIS and we went to school in Wollongong until Berkely HS was built. I'm in the process of putting together memories of that time (before it's too late).
We came out on the Otranto the first ship to go via Cape Town because of the Suez Crisis. Interested in photos, info, etc.
Win

Hi win
Welcome to the forums, as you can see we are extremely over populated here at the forums but I think we can squeeze a few more in. Also you will find that the top two posters have been Roy and I. we are doing so well. hehe

Good luck with your project as I know it isn?t easy gathering information, photos and memories etc but at the end, it will be well worth your trouble. Hopefully one day these forums may become a good source for information.

Our family migrated to Australia 1967 on the SS Australis and travelled through the Suez Canal and on our homeward voyage we passed through the Panama Canal.

I did a quick search on the Otranto and came up with this link, it?s a website about the Otranto. I haven?t had time to take a proper look just yet,,but I will.
I wonder if you have seen this site already? Just click on the link below.

MY FAMILY (DAD,MUM THREE BROTHERS AND A SISTER)ARRIVED IN 1954...A BIT BEFORE THE PERIOD YOU ARE ASKING ABOUT. BUT I HAVE SOME PHOTOS OF THE HOSTEL AND THE LAKE ETC...MY FATHER AND A MATE SET UP THE FIRST FOOTBALL (SOCCER ) FIELD AT THE HOSTEL. IF ANY ONE REMEMBERS THE GALLACHERS..THATS US!!

I?m afraid thats way before my time. I was only born in 1957. I bet the Nissan/ igloo huts were near enough still brand new when your family arrived. I remember the soccer field, if it?s the same one from 1968/69 because as a wee lad I played for Berkeley East Soccer club and we trained there.

Would be fantastic to see your photos. If you e-mail them to me I shall add your name to them and if needed clean them up a bit and up load them here for all to see.
If I can collect enough photos from others that once stayed at Berkeley hostel then I may even put them on a separate page on my Unanderra Hostel Memories website.